The Prime Minister, Robinnah Nabbanja has revealed a 60-billion-shilling fraud in the Mt. Elgon resettlement program, prompting the government to review the process for the affected individuals.
The government this month embarked on the resettlement program, aimed at relocating over 9,000 households living in high-risk zones across districts of Kween, Bulambuli, Bududa, Sironko, Namisindwa and Bukwo.
Under the cabinet-backed initiative, eligible households are meant to receive Shs 18 million per household or Shs 10 million plus land allocations to help them establish homes in safer places.
However, Manafwa District Woman Member of Parliament, Rose Mutonyi Masaba told parliament that the affected persons had not received the said package.
“I was there and they were complaining that they were dying of hunger, they were promised ten Million to relocate, some of them received it and others did not receive,” Ms Mutoni said.
Nabbanja explained that the originally reported number of affected individuals had been inflated, leading to a significant reduction of 82%.
She said the number of households listed for resettlement has now dropped from 13,900 to just 2,500.
She promised to investigate reports that relocated individuals in Chepsikunya, Kween District, lacked food, and that some individuals had illegally accessed the beneficiaries’ list, warning that those responsible for adding unauthorized names to the list will face legal consequences.
“The members asking whether the people in Chepsikunya have been given food, the fact is I will go and find out, because we agreed that we concentrate on relocation and the government has so far given us 62 Billion and we have remained with 43 billion,” Ms Nabbanja said.
Nabbanja emphasized that under the resettlement program, the funds are provided as compassionate relocation support to save lives rather than compensation for ancestral land left behind.
